The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

If you've worked in corporate America as a Black woman, at one point in time you've likely been the "only." Heck, you may still be the only. Regardless, there has been or will come a time when you see another Black woman being introduced around the office. Are you excited to see her or do you need to suss out the situation first? Does she get to hear your outside voice or are you keeping it corporate for her? Zakiya Dalila Harris covers these thoughts and feelings and more in The Other Black Girl, a book I like to think of as a mashup between Lauren Wilkinson's American Spy, The Matrix and The Devil Wears Prada.

Publishing is a competitive field and Nella has worked hard to prove herself in hopes of a promotion, but she knows she doesn't come from the right background. She doesn't summer in the right places and doesn't always get the cultural references that come from watching shows like Friends or Seinfeld. And then Hazel shows up in her office one day and she's everything Nella isn't. She's able to hold conversations with coworkers about what makes Boston a great town. She jumps right into team meetings and others hang on her every word. Nella thinks she's found a friend in Hazel, but maybe not so much. Nella's attempts to find out just who Hazel really is takes readers deep into a world that will ultimately leave them asking how do I define blackness, who am I to define blackness and, if given the choice to stir things up or assimilate,  would I or wouldn't I?

The Other Black Girl has so many twists and turns. When I say it's a mashup of other books and movies, it really is. I wouldn't even begin to know how to classify it. But I will say it's an absolute page turner that will leave you thinking long after you've put it down. A film version has been optioned for Hulu.

Disclaimer: A copy of the book was received from the publisher in an exchange for an honest review. 

Where Are They Now? The Literary Edition

One of my favorite VH1 shows is Where Are They Now?, a show about musical artists with promising careers who, for some reason or another, fell out of the spotlight. There are quite a few authors whose work I've enjoyed in the past, but at some point, they stopped writing, or at least they stopped getting published. So I've done a little digging to find out, 'where are they now?'

The Mali Anderson mysteries by Grace F. Edwards is one of my favorite series. With the first book, If I Should Die, published in 1997, I was hooked. Through Edwards' writing readers were introduced to former cop, Mali Anderson, her jazz loving father and the nephew she's raising, Alvin. As the characters on The Wire would say, Mali is "real police," even though she's no longer on the job. Four books into the series, it ended in 2000 and in 2003 Edwards wrote a stand alone book called The Viaduct, another thriller, but this time from the point of view of a male Vietnam vet. So where is she now? In addition to teaching fiction at a New York university, she recently served as secretary for the Harlem Writers Guild. She also published a new book earlier this year called The Blind Alley with no fanfare. I had no idea that she was still writing until I started researching her.

With So Good, All of Me and Colored Sugar Water, Venise Berry was one of my favorite authors in the late 90s going into 2001. Though she has authored a few non-fiction works since then, and was scheduled to release new work in 2008, it seems that it never materialized. We can only wish that we'll have a chance read it some day. In the meantime, Berry is an associate professor at the University of Iowa.

Barbara Neely's Blanche series combines detective work and common sense in the form of Blanche White. A domestic worker by day, Blanche keeps her ear to the ground and her eyes open to what's going on around her. Between 1992 and 2000, Neely published four books in the series. Where is Neely now? An award winning activist for women's rights and economic justice, Neely continues to write short stories and hosts a radio interview program Sunday nights in Massachusetts.

I have a lengthy lists of authors that I'll be featuring throughout the rest of the year, but what author's works do you miss? Who has you wondering what happened to their promising career?

Does It Matter Who Writes the Story as Long as It's Written?

I was talking to a co-worker the other day about a book that Amazon recommended as something readers of Wench might like.  I loved Wench.  It  is a well written and well researched book about a group of women living in slavery.  It was also written by an African-American author.  The book that Amazon recommended was set pre-Civil War and was written from the perspective of a plantation owner's wife upset about his "relationship" with a slave.  I'd take exception to any book that portrayed the slave mistresses of their owners as willing accomplices to their relationship, but for me, it's especially offensive when the author can't empathize with the character about which he or she is writing.  Is it that I think only African-Americans can write on these topics or do the necessary research? No, but you have to admit that sensitive topics deserve a fair amount of respect that authors of other races don't always give them, knowingly or not.

Let's look at 2009's The Help. Written by a white author about white women and the African American help that worked in their houses, it was one of my favorite books that year. I felt like the author took her time developing all of the characters. The African American characters were no less important than the white ones and just as much attention was given to their story lines.  I also have a great deal of respect for Kathleen Grissom's The Kitchen House about an Irish girl who comes to America as an indentured servant and forms a bond with the slaves on the plantation on which they work.  Though it would have been easy to make the slaves minor characters and play up the story line of the indentured servant alone, Grissom took the time to develop both the character and story line of everyone in the book.  In a lot of ways, her book really reminded me of J. California Cooper's The Wake of the Wind.

On the flip side, I absolutely hated Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt, the story of a young white girl sent to live with her great-aunt and her maid.  Much like The Secret Lives of Bees, I disliked this story of a white child being raised by black women who were treated like magical Negroes.  Little attention was paid to their lives apart from how it related to their white wards.  Though they were significant in the development of both children's lives, they were treated as secondary characters.

All of this leads me to ask, does it really matter who writes our stories or any stories as long as they're well written? I don't remember a great deal of uproar over a white male writing Memoirs of A Geisha.  There was a slight murmur about it being written from a Western perspective, but not nearly the amount of grumblings I heard about The Help.  If African American history is American history, should all Americans be allowed to tell the stories as long as they do the proper research and do the story justice or are our stories exclusively ours?  Are African American authors limiting themselves by writing books with predominantly black characters?  Why do books written by authors of other races receive more acclaim than books with similar topics written by African Americans?

Here's My Summer Reading List, What's On Yours?

Occasionally I get questions from the Twitterverse about what books are must reads.  My must read won't be everyone else's must read, but with a gentle nudge from the Twitterati, I'm giving you the list of what I'm reading this summer.  I'll also throw in a few "already reads" that I've enjoyed and think you will to.  I'm behind on my 144 books in 12 months challenge and my African Diaspora challenge, so I'll be reading at least 12 books a month, if not more.  Look for my list of books on the 1st of each month.

2010 Summer Reading List (June)

Asian American Dreams: The Emergence of An American People by Helen Zia

32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter

Sima's Undergarments for Women by Ilana Stanger-Ross

The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama

The Sport of the Gods by Paul Laurence Dunbar

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives by Lola Shoneyin

Colorblind by Precious Williams

Black Men Built the Capitol: Discovering African-American History In and Around Washington, DC by Jesse J. Holland

A Taste of Honey: Stories by Jabari Asim

Life on the Color Line: The True Story of a White Boy Who Discovered He Was Black by Gregory Howard Williams

Persian Girls: A Memoir by Nahid Rachlin

Under the Dome by Stephen King

Already Reads

Laugh Out Loud Hilarious

Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler

the Broke Diaries by Angela Nissel

Mossy Creek by Deborah Smith

Honey Hush: An Anthology of African American Woman's Humor by Daryl Cumber Dance

Contemporary Lit

Children of the Waters by Carleen Brice

Glorious by Bernice McFadden

Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

I Been in Sorrow's Kitchen and Licked Out All the Pots by Susan Straight

Historical Fiction/Memoirs

The Black Rose: The Dramatic Story of Madam C.J. Walker, America's First Black Female Millionaire by Tananarive Due

Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles by Margaret George

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Russka: The Novel of Russia by Edward Rutherfurd

Non-fiction

What to Say and How to Say it: Models, Speeches and Letters for All Occasions by David Belson

Why Black People Tend to Shout: Cold Facts and Wry Views from a Black Man's World by Ralph Wiley

Cool Pose: The Dilemmas of Black Manhood in America by Richard Majors

When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost: My Life as a Hip Hop Feminist by Joan Morgan

Straight Up, No Chaser: How I Became A Grown-Up Black Woman by Jill Nelson

Have you started drafting your summer reading list? What's on it? What one book do you have to read this summer?

A book is a gift you can open again & again - Garrison Keillor

A few weeks ago I issued a call to Twitter, Facebook and blog friends asking for book suggestions to give as presents to the readers (and those that need to be encouraged to read) in our lives. The response was overwhelming. I've compiled a list of suggested books below and comments from those that suggested them.

I also promised a $ 25 Amazon.com gift card. For her passionate and lengthy list of books, particularly in a genre that is sometimes overlooked by adults, the winner is Ari aka Miss Attitude. Ari blogs over at Reading in Color and is always in the know about the latest and greatest lit for young adults. Congrats Ari!

Youth

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt & David Small

Mean, old Gar-face abuses his poor little animals so much so that the only place they can find solace is underneath the house. The story deals with animal mistreatment, but also teaches friendship can be found in the unlikeliest of places - in this case among a dog and a cat. This is a great book to read aloud or with an older child perhaps 2nd grade or above.

Testing the Ice by Sharon Robinson & Kadir Nelson

Written by Sharon Robinson - Jackie Robinson's daughter - this is a wonderful tale of history, hope, faith and love. It was a welcome addition to our family library and an even greater addition to my kids' school library - as we purchased an additional. copy to donate. Another favorite for the 2nd grade and above.

The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden

Ivy, Holly, and Mr. and Mrs. Jones all have one Christmas wish. Ivy, an orphan, wishes for a real home and sets out in search of the grandmother she's sure she can find. Holly, a doll, wishes for a child to bring her to life. And the Joneses wish more than anything for a son or daughter to share their holiday. Can all three wishes come true?

Young Adult

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

A YA urban fantasy book about a high school girl who draws the unwanted notice of a faerie prince. I think that'd be a great choice for an older teen/20s reluctant girl reader.

Liar by Justine Larbalestier

It's about a girl who lies. A lot. It's suspenseful and keeps you guessing. I loved it.

Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher

It's about a multiracial sarcastic smart athletic guy who decides to make a bunch of misfits popular. For guys especially I recommend ..A poignant, hysterical read.

I also recommend anything by Walter Dean Mosley.

A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott

For all the historical fiction/fantasy readers. About a girl from 21st Brooklyn's time travel to the Civil War Brooklyn. Amazing.

Flygirl by Sherri Smith

Ida Mae Jones dreams of flight. Her daddy was a pilot and being black didn't stop him from fulfilling his dreams. But her daddy's gone now, and being a woman, and being black, are two strikes against her.

When America enters the war with Germany and Japan, the Army creates the WASP, the Women's Airforce Service Pilots—and Ida suddenly sees a way to fly as well as do something significant to help her brother stationed in the Pacific. But even the WASP won't accept her as a black woman, forcing Ida Mae to make a difficult choice of "passing," of pretending to be white to be accepted into the program. Hiding one's racial heritage, denying one's family, denying one's self is a heavy burden. And while Ida Mae chases her dream, she must also decide who it is she really wants to be.

Mare's War by Tanita S. Davis

Octavia and Tali are dreading the road trip their parents are forcing them to take with their grandmother over the summer. After all, Mare isn’t your typical grandmother. She drives a red sports car, wears stiletto shoes, flippy wigs, and push-up bras, and insists that she’s too young to be called Grandma. But somewhere on the road, Octavia and Tali discover there’s more to Mare than what you see. She was once a willful teenager who escaped her less-than-perfect life in the deep South and lied about her age to join the African American battalion of the Women’s Army Corps during World War II.

She's So Money by Cherry Cheva

Maya has always been the good girl. Camden is the popular jock with a bigger ego than brain. Maya never thought there'd be a reason for them to, like, interact. But when the biggest mistake of her life lands her in need of a seriously devious plan, she discovers Camden isn't as dumb as he looks. And now that Maya's playing the bad girl (lying, cheating, swindling, and, um, shopping), she might as well do it right and flirt with the bad boy. . . .

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork

Marcelo Sandoval hears music no one else can hear--part of the autism-like impairment no doctor has been able to identify--and he's always attended a special school where his differences have been protected. But the summer after his junior year, his father demands that Marcelo work in his law firm's mailroom in order to experience "the real world." There Marcelo meets Jasmine, his beautiful and surprising coworker, and Wendell, the son of another partner in the firm.

The Making of Dr. Truelove by Derrick Barnes (for guys it's very funny, very hormone-driven!).

Diego is a sixteen-year-old boy with a problem. He loves his girlfriend, Roxy. And when they suddenly break up due to Diego's own insecurity issues, the boy is crushed. However will he win Shorty back?

On the trusty advice of his (crazy) best friend, Diego invents an alter ego known as Dr. Truelove. A sex and relationship e-columnist, Truelove is smooth where Diego is gawky, skilled where Diego is clueless. Truelove is, quite clearly, the way back into Roxy's heart. Or so it seems.

Lip Gloss Chronicles series: The Ultimate Test and Splitsville by Sheila M. Goss

The Lip Gloss Chronicles explores the life of three sassy and hip urban high school freshmen who are high on fashion and magnets for drama. Britney Franklin, Jasmine McNeil, and Sierra Sanchez, daughters of Dallas, Texas socialites met in their private grammar school, and now they are ready to tackle their freshman year in a new public high school as a team.

Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer

Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife -- between desire and danger.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl which just came out a few days ago. It was an amazing paranormal read and about as long as one of the Twilight books.

Donut Days by Lara Zielin. It was a great story about families, church, and friendship.

International Fiction

The Book of Night Women by Marlon James

About a group of slave women in Jamaica plotting their escape.

Cereus Blooms at Night by Shani Mootoo

Essentially a gothic multigeneration family saga

The New Moon's Arms by Nalo Hopkinson

A book about a woman going through menopause who is forced to reexamine her life and values after realizing mermaids are real. Trust me, it's handled wonderfully.

Non-fiction

Complications and Better by Atul Gawande's medical essays (the latter has slightly more interesting topics)

anything by Oliver Sacks (my favourite is his memoir of loving chemistry as a boy called Uncle Tungsten)

Red, White, and Drunk All Over by Natalie McClean

For foodies: a wonderful book about wine-not at all pretentious and McClean's love for it shines through.

Fiction - Adults

Children of the Waters by Carleen Brice

Still reeling from divorce and feeling estranged from her teenage son, Trish Taylor is in the midst of salvaging the remnants of her life when she uncovers a shocking secret: her sister is alive. For years Trish believed that her mother and infant sister had died in a car accident. But the truth is that her mother fatally overdosed and that Trish’s grandparents put the baby girl up for adoption because her father was black.

After years of drawing on the strength of her black ancestors, Billie Cousins is shocked to discover that she was adopted. Just as surprising, after finally overcoming a series of health struggles, she is pregnant–a dream come true for Billie but a nightmare for her sweetie, Nick, and for her mother, both determined to protect Billie from anything that may disrupt her well-being.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Be prepared to meet three unforgettable women:

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town...

Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

"My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973."

So begins the story of Susie Salmon, who is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not at all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continue without her -- her friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her killer trying to cover his tracks, her grief-stricken family unraveling.

Black Noir & Best African American fiction

I'm a big fan of compilations/anthologies/etc. when I really want something good to read, but don't have a lot of time to read. Black Noir and Best African American Fiction are excellent compilations of authors from the past, present and future doing what they do best. I love being introduced to new authors and reintroduced to "seasoned" authors. I look forward to reading more from just about every writer in these books.